Andy Murray splits with coach Ivan Lendl

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has announced that he and coach Ivan Lendl have mutually ended their partnership.

The British number one made the announcement on his official website on Wednesday in a move which will cause some surprise.

Murray was always a player of huge promise but only made the step up to a grand slam champion under the coaching of Lendl, himself an eight-time major winner who, like Murray, lost his early slam finals.

Success for the duo first came at the London Olympics before a real breakthrough in winning the 2012 US Open. Their greatest glory together, though, was last year's Wimbledon, at which Murray ended a 77-year wait for a male British champion.

Murray, who is returning from back surgery and preparing to defend his title in Miami, said: "I'm eternally grateful to Ivan for all his hard work over the past two years - the most successful of my career so far.

"As a team, we've learned a lot and it will definitely be of benefit in the future. I'll take some time with the team to consider the next steps and how we progress from here."

Lendl added: "Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me. He is a first-class guy.

"Having helped him achieve his goal of winning major titles, I feel like it is time for me to concentrate on some of my own projects moving forward, including playing more events around the world, which I am really enjoying.

"I will always be in Andy's corner and wish him nothing but great success as he too goes into a new phase of his career."

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